Ariana Grande returns with ‘Petal’: A sultry, anger-driven 12-track album

Los Angeles: Two years after Eternal Sunshine and following the filming of Wicked, Ariana Grande is back with a new album titled Petal. The 12-track project was written and produced by Grande and Ilya Salmanzadeh, and was released this week.

The album marks a shift in tone for the pop star. Where Eternal Sunshine leaned into mellowed-out heartbreak and Positions offered cheeky innuendo, Petal channels what critics describe as “smooth anger and slick conviction.”

The title track uses synths, bass and Grande’s falsetto to address the pressure of fame and the demands of the music industry. On hate that i made you love me, she delivers the line “I will find my way from you, like flowers from a tomb,” framing the song less as a breakup ballad and more as a matter-of-fact statement.

The influence of Wicked is evident in her vocal delivery, which often shifts between speaking and singing. That style surfaces on oh well, where staccato lyrics build to the line: “good luck on your way to hell, oh well,” delivered in a tone reminiscent of her Glinda character.

The album closes with nowhere, nobody, a soulful, prayer-like track where Grande turns the focus inward. After 11 songs dissecting relationships, fans and public scrutiny, the final track ends the project on a note of self-acceptance.